"He wants you and the five hundred members of the Shadow Order to eliminate Duke Asher Ashbourne… and his family," Apollyon said softly, his deep voice echoing through the silent, frost-hardened hall.
Before him stood a woman, unnaturally pale, with crimson hair cascading like spilled wine over a gown of the same hue. Her eyes, the color of frozen blood, glimmered with subtle contempt as she listened.
"He wants the entire Shadow Order for one mission," she said coldly. "Does he even comprehend the cost?"
Apollyon didn't flinch. He leaned slightly forward, voice rising with sovereign weight.
"Possession of half the largest Mythril crystal vein known to exist, a vein filled with crystals capable of neutralizing the Abyss force. That vein… is the only path to survival. When the invasion begins, no wall, no fortress, no spell will hold, only this."
The air grew heavy.
